The Sweet Service Award goes to The Twelve Apostles Hotel for their The Spa launch function earlier this week. Guests received a personally delivered invitation, were given directions as to where to park some distance from the hotel, were driven in courtesy cars to the function venue, received a generous gift pack of Elemis, B.AFRICA and Dermalogica product samples, and met the charming hosts Toni and Victoria Tollman, all on a picture perfect afternoon. Delicious and healthy light snacks were served with champagne and water. The three local Red Carnation Hotel chefs Henrico Grobbelaar from The Twelve Apostles, Kevin Joseph from the Oyster Box (he says that Princess Charlène and Prince Albert look really happy when the cameras aren’t around), and Floris Smith from Bushmans Kloof did the food preparation.
The Sour Service Award goes to the Cape Town parking marshalls, who are becoming increasingly cheeky, rude and even aggressive, as I experienced in Sea Point outside SPAR recently. After parking, I was followed by a parking marshall, who touched my arm, and told me that I was not allowed to ‘f…ing’ park where I had parked in a legitimate parking bay. He refused to give me his name, and had removed his name badge when I had returned to my car. The rude behaviour of parking marshalls is a major deterrent to doing business at shops and restaurants in the city centre, in Sea Point, and in other suburbs of Cape Town. Sharing the Sour Service Award is the City of Cape Town, which did not react to a Tweet, in which I asked for a contact person to report the incident to!
The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog. Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.
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I must just add something here – I can’t understand why a launch of a spa was planned for 2pm on a Monday afternoon? I found it very rude that Toni Tollman arrived late and then in her speech made no mention of the people who were actually responsible for making the spa as good as it is. There was a whole team of talented professionals and not one of them got a mention – she took the credit all for herself. Unfortunately, the only creativity Toni appears to have is a stack of magazine clippings under her arm.
Thank you for your comment Phil.
I was obviously at the function, and it started at 3 pm, and not at 2 pm. The hotel had been lucky in the choice of day, with the most beautiful weather, and an afternoon function outside the Spa, with a gorgeous view, was perfect.
There was no hint of the Tollman sisters being late – everyone present socialised, and they arrived at an appropriate time for Toni to do her speech. I stood next to her when she spoke, and I did not pick up at all that she praised herself.
Chris
Dear Phil
I have not allowed your further comment, which is disparaging to Toni. Thank you for acknowledging that you got the start time incorrect.
Chris
I am with you on the parking marshalls in Seapoint. I am tired of them. I avoid them at any cost but unfortunately to get to my pharmacy I need to park in one of their bays. Today, I asked the attendant to press the green ‘pay’ button on her machine (like the signs tell you to do). She put the money in her pocket, ignored me and walked away. I beeped my horn and she returned and insisted that she pressed the button when she walked away (although I watched her the whole time and she didn’t). When I told her that the point is to show me she’s pressing it and she should be transparent so that the system is trustworth, she told me that she wouldn’t put R7 in her pocket. She would put R7million in her pocket but not R7.
I would put R7 in my pocket because I work hard to earn every penny I make! Frustrated! Let me know if you have contact info. I only see 0800 65 64 63 on the receipts they write out.
Thank you for sharing your experience with them Ocean.
The marshalls are so rude and off-putting, to the detriment of all shop owners and restaurants in the area, needing our business badly.
Chris